A rooftop infinity pool! Billiard tables! A science room for the kids! A “jam room” for playing out your inner Dave Matthews! These amenities may sound like come-ons for a Caribbean cruise liner, but in fact they’re some of the latest ways in which Brooklyn residential […]

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A rooftop infinity pool! Billiard tables! A science room for the kids! A “jam room” for playing out your inner Dave Matthews! These amenities may sound like come-ons for a Caribbean cruise liner, but in fact they’re some of the latest ways in which Brooklyn residential developers are luring buyers and tenants. In Downtown Brooklyn, thousands of new apartments have been built in recent years, which means that landlords are competing harder, especially in the luxury market.

One way to compete is to offer rent concessions, which have been increasing lately, causing Brooklyn rents to dip in recent months. Another way is to offer head-turning amenities that go beyond the standard exercise room or roof deck. The phenomenon isn’t confined to Brooklyn. In neighboring Long Island City, “People are being overwhelmed by the choices. There is an amenities war going on,” a broker told the Wall Street Journal.

The Standish, by DDG, a renovated condominium building at 171 Columbia Heights previously occupied by the Standish Arms Hotel, is situated within hailing distance of the harbor, which is likely what inspired its novel amenity: a boat valet. The building is offering its residents a handful of private boating experiences, one of which is sailing excursions with the ONE°15 Brooklyn Sail Club, not far from the building in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

PROFILEnyc had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Joseph A. McMillan, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DDG, to discuss bringing green building and sustainable practices to New York City real estate. Joe and DDG have been behind major […]

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PROFILEnyc had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Joseph A. McMillan, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DDG, to discuss bringing green building and sustainable practices to New York City real estate. Joe and DDG have been behind major projects such as 12 Warren, 180 East 88th, and 41 Bond, amongst others, where they use innovative design solutions to improve the built environment, creating value for both stakeholders and the community at large. DDG is fully integrated to optimize value via both designing and building their developments. Learn what it takes to design and build sustainably in the fast paced streets of Manhattan:

PROFILEnyc Magazine: So few real estate developers are as fully-integrated as DDG when it comes to designing and developing your own projects, why do you think this is so rare? Why did DDG take it upon itself to be involved in both the architectural design and development?

Joe McMillan: It is really a multi-faceted answer. If you look at design, development, construction and the other business we are in, asset management and property management, and overall investment, they are all very separate and distinct skill sets. What most typical firms do is they focus on one of the aspects of development and one of the skill sets. We felt that it would be an incredible competitive advantage to be able to integrate various of those under one corporate umbrella. That is why we chose to do the development, the design, the construction and the asset management all in-house. Having those capabilities and the integration enables us to be more nimble. We can move faster. We can control more of the process and we can control more of the quality. In the end that falls out to the bottom line, so as investors we obtain a better margin and better quality product as a result.

PM: What is your background and how has it enabled you to build a fully-integrated real estate company?

JM: My background is private equity and I am an institutional investor. I spent a number of years as an investor who had a tremendous passion for real estate and the arts. When DDG was started, we built out a team that has very extensive depth along the investment side, from Wall Street firms like Morgan Stanley, Barclays, etc. We have institutional capabilities from development firms and have hired from Hines for one, and on the design side we have a very robust team of designers who are incredibly talented and design a lot of our projects. On the construction side we have hired out of Tishman, Turner, and others; on the hospitality side some members of our concierge team have been trained by the Four Seasons and other five star hotels, so we have the best in class in all the businesses that we operate in. This gives us a very deep set of capabilities in each aspect of our business. We go out, try to find the best and the brightest, bring them together as one team and try to push that as a platform.

PM: Let’s jump to 12 Warren where you chose to use a unique bluestone for the facade. Why did you make this choice? How has the reception been?

JM: The bluestone has been incredibly well-received. We first worked with bluestone as a company at 41 Bond, which was the inaugural project that we completed in 2012. It was the first project that we did as a company. There we used a much more rationalized contemplation of the stone. If you look at the brickwork it was very linear, it was in very regular patterns. The articulation is incredibly beautiful, but it was done differently than 12 Warren. If you look at Warren Street, we wanted to do something that was rough-hewn. The reason we went back to the bluestone is it was a very traditional material used in New York City construction in the late 1800s early 1900s. It was used less over time as concrete, steel and glass became much more prevalent. We wanted something that went back to the roots of New York City. If you look at the Tribeca neighborhood, it is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. We thought the rough, organic texture was completely different. If you look just a couple of blocks away you have the World Trade Center towers and various other developments that have a lot of glass. We wanted to do something that was really an opposite reflection of what was going up. We wanted to show something that was much more traditional, although the final contemplation brought it into a slightly different light as well.

PM: What differentiates the design and style both from an architectural perspective and development perspective between the different neighborhoods of Manhattan? Where is DDG’s favorite neighborhood to build in?

JM: Every project is different and every neighborhood is different. I would say that every neighborhood has its opportunities and every neighborhood has its challenges. I think that you really need to respect the individual neighborhoods and look at them in their context. Every building needs to be contextual. There are certain neighborhoods that lend themselves towards high-rise, and certain neighborhoods that lend themselves to low-rise and mid-rise; some are more traditional and some are more contemporary. We send our design and development team into a neighborhood and they will walk block by block and take a myriad of photos so we have samples. We will come back to the office and we will sit and go through a reflective line: “What is the context of this neighborhood today?” We will do as much historical research as possible, going back as far as we can in city records and city tax records and get as many pictures as we can find, and figure out what was there 50, 100, 120 years ago. This really helps us understand the history of the location and history of the neighborhood, to bring that into today’s context and from there we decide what is appropriate for the site and the neighborhood.

I cannot say that we have a favorite neighborhood per se. I can say that we enjoy building in many of the various neighborhoods throughout the city and we have a lot of projects in Manhattan, and more recently we have worked in Brooklyn. We think that there is a lot of opportunity.

PM: Both 12 Warren and 180 East 88th are designed to be LEED Certified. Why is DDG so committed to sustainability? How does this affect design and development?

JM: It is not just 12 Warren and 180 East 88th that are going for LEED Certification, we have buildings across our portfolio that are. Every project that we have done in New York since 41 Bond has gone for LEED Certification. We don’t only believe in LEED, we believe in green, we believe in sustainability. We believe that as investors and developers, we have a responsibility to do what we think is right. Part of that is what we think is right for the environment, what is right for the city, and what is right for the planet. LEED is a portion of that, WELL Building is a portion, and green building is a portion.

LEED is one of the many standards that we try to adhere to and try to achieve. There are various levels of certification, whether it is silver, gold or platinum, and we think of that as important from a corporate responsibility perspective. We also think that as the world has changed over time, we as individuals have become much more cognizant of what is happening. We look at global warming, rising sea levels, temperature changes; we try to do anything we can do to help some of that and to slow down and pivot. Whether it is using sustainably harvested wood where everything that is not used is recycled, or using local stone like bluestone, or going for LEED Certification, we try to implement sustainability across everything that we do, and not just in New York, but also we are very aggressive in pursuing green building in the other markets we are in, which currently include California and Florida.

PM: You guys hit several snags with 180 East 88th before getting the final go-ahead to finish construction. Can you comment on how the project is progressing and what its completion will mean to the Upper East Side?

JM: 180 East 88th is currently under construction. We are presently pouring the 16th floor of concrete and the building is nearing halfway towards its pinnacle. We are actively in the sales process. We feel very good about that building; it has a tremendous location. If you look at the amenities of the surrounding area for many buyers, there is no better location than the Upper East Side. The building has been very well responded to by the market.

PM: What is the hardest part about building in Manhattan?

JM: The hardest part about building in Manhattan is maintaining patience. It is a very lengthy process. Whether we are talking about the acquisition of a site, which can take many years to assemble and acquire, or the planning and construction processes, both of which take multiple years. After that, you either hold the property or you exit. The entire process is very lengthy and there are many twists and turns. I would say maintaining patience through that is the greatest challenge, but it is also incredibly fulfilling. I can think of nothing else that I would rather do, and nothing as fulfilling, than being able to bring beautiful architecture and beautiful buildings and really make a change for the better and contribute to the environment. The legacy that we participate in is exceptional. Bringing housing to the city and doing it in a beautiful way is something that I take personal satisfaction in.

PM: Where is the future of development and architecture in Manhattan heading? Where do you expect to see the borough change over the next 5 years? 10 years?

JM: I think we are seeing somewhat of a classical shift to more traditional materials and more traditional architecture. I think there was a period of time where there was a tremendous amount of glass used, and I think that there is a true desire for warmth. You are seeing that reflected in a growing number of projects where developers and architects are taking a step back and saying, “let’s blend some of the modern with some of the more traditional and do something that is slightly different.” You don’t want to look at a building and say, “this was a 2000s-era building.” I think we are getting to a place where we want the architecture to be a little more timeless.

Lux Exposé

02/16/2018

The Standish is Now 85% Sold

The Standish announces its first sales update since coming to the market. In just over a year the highly anticipated Brooklyn Heights luxury condominium is now 85-percent sold, with $100 million in signed and closed deals. An incredible feat in today’s market, this […]

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The Standish announces its first sales update since coming to the market. In just over a year the highly anticipated Brooklyn Heights luxury condominium is now 85-percent sold, with $100 million in signed and closed deals. An incredible feat in today’s market, this milestone coincides with the commencement of closings and first resident move-ins.

Originally constructed in 1903 at the iconic Standish Arms Hotel, the building is being converted into luxury condominiums by DDG and Westbrook Partners. A perfect reflection of the Beaux Arts style popular at the time, The Standish’s façade was designed by F.S. Lowe in the early 20th century and consists of historic brick, bay windows, terracotta lintels and a limestone base.

Rising above the historic Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, The Standish offers the unique combination of a pre-war façade, refreshingly modern interiors and unprecedented views. The light-filled homes range in size from one- to five-bedrooms. Living areas feature Austrian white oak flooring and custom-designed solid wood entry and interior doors. Kitchens are fully outfitted with Bertazzoni-Italia and Bosch appliances and Italian Carrara marble slab countertops, while the master bath includes silver travertine slabs and mosaic accented walls and flooring, as well as a custom freestanding tub and Fantini rain shower.

Just three of these homes remain at The Standish, two of which are currently available, and one gracious townhouse to be revealed this spring.

Its residents will have access to a curated selection of amenities and services as well, that includes a state-of-the-art fitness center with a yoga and stretching area, onsite concierge / doorman, fully outfitted children’s playroom and access to DDG’s award-winning concierge services.

Located at 171 Columbia Heights, The Standish is steps from the neighborhood’s beloved promenade as well as idyllic Montague Street, an array of restaurants and cafes and the Brooklyn Historical Society. It also happens to be well situated for water lovers excited about ONE° 15 Brooklyn Marina, New York City’s newest marina.

Downtown Magazine

02/14/2018

Developers and Designers Team Up with Brick-and-Mortar Retailers

When looking to furnish a new home or remodel your current one, some people may ask: How do I replicate that exact look I just saw? How do those spaces look so flawless? Can I get them somewhere nearby? […]

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When looking to furnish a new home or remodel your current one, some people may ask: How do I replicate that exact look I just saw? How do those spaces look so flawless? Can I get them somewhere nearby?

What will likely begin as a creative endeavor can quickly turn into an overwhelming project — whether your dilemma stems from budget limitations, an uphill battle to find Pinterest-worthy pieces or simply not knowing where to start.

In an age of instant gratification, developers and designers are increasingly turning to upscale home goods stores to design accessible residences. By bringing in brick-and-mortar retailers instead of hiring a costly, high-end interior designer, buyers can easily “shop the look” to recreate the brand’s signature style in the new home that they loved and avoid the struggle of starting from scratch.

Projects include: 88 & 90 Lexington, The Lindley, and The Standish.

The Standish

The Standish’s model home represents the first time DDG has collaborated with acclaimed storefront / showroom Matter, clothing the residence with pieces from their Matter Made line. The inspiration behind the model residence connects the building’s history and its turn-of-the-century Beaux Arts style with its East River vantage point and the desire to communicate a contemporary Brooklyn style and aesthetic. In order to create a space that acts as a refuge from the frenetic city, Matter assembled a foundation of classic materials such as brass, wood and marble, all of which picked up on the finishes and materials incorporated into the actual design of the home by DDG. They then built upon this framework of warm neutrals by playing with texture and color in a way that feels contemporary and warm and adds a pop of vibrancy.

Architectural Digest

11/27/2017

DWR Gets In On the Model Residence Game

By: Hadley Keller

If you’ve been paying attention to design news over the past year, you’ve likely noticed the overwhelming upgrade in apartment model residences. No longer the cheesy staged afterthoughts thrown together by realtors, today’s model residences […]

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If you’ve been paying attention to design news over the past year, you’ve likely noticed the overwhelming upgrade in apartment model residences. No longer the cheesy staged afterthoughts thrown together by realtors, today’s model residences are as carefully designed and outfitted as developers hope their building’s best units will someday be. In Rafael Vinõly’s towering 432 Park Avenue, Kelly Behun created a spectacular, art-filled aerie; Brad Ford brought the best of his Fair showroom to life in Shigeru Ban’s Cast Iron House. Both were newcomers to the model unit game. Now, noting the same opportunity for exposure and creative freedom that entices designers, manufacturers are looking to get in. Earlier this month, we toured Artefacto’s residence in Zaha Hadid’s One Thousand Museum tower. The latest iteration? A model in DDG’s The Standish, Brooklyn Heights’ hot new condo building (which enlisted Matter’s Jamie Gray and Olivia Sammons to conceive an earlier unit), outfitted by Design Within Reach.

The venerable manufacturer, which offers designs by the likes of Isamu Noguchi, Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, has teamed with interior architects Atelier Armbruster to create a comfortable home using pieces from its vast archive. “When we were approached to furnish the model apartment, we felt it was an opportunity to champion Atelier Armbruster’s work,” says DWR head of PR Kim Phillips. “They are a young, female-led firm, and their body of work demonstrates a sophisticated approach to modernist interiors that possess a serene elegance using the choicest materials — the marble!”

Digging deep into the DWR archive, Yaiza Armbruster and her team selected a bevy of furniture items with a wide range of texture and silhouette, in an attempt to create a warm space with visual interest and functionality.

“It was exciting to have the entire back catalog of the DWR line as a resource,” says Armbruster. “Our vision was to use the lesser-known pieces and give them a chance to shine.” Items included in the home range from a Hella Jongerius rug to a Paulistano armchair by Paulo Mendes da Rocha to the soon-to-hit-market Lispenard Sofa by Neil Logan.

Such originality is in line with the new concept of model units as showstopping creative feats, rather than blank spaces devoid of personality (several developers interviewed by AD confessed that prospective buyers often inquire about buying some — or even, in rare cases, all — of the furnished model’s furnishings). “Model residences are the best way to transport a prospective buyer into the experience of living in the space,” Armbruster says. “For someone who doesn’t plan spaces for a living, it can be difficult to go from the images they collect for inspiration to envisioning how it will actually feel in the space they are considering. So they afford an opportunity to move fast and with more freedom than an actual client might provide. They are a pure reflection of a creative vision that is less encumbered by compromise.”

Manhattan Magazine

09/01/2017

Master Plan

By: Heather Corcoran

“New York is unlike any market in the country,” Joseph A. McMillan, Jr. says as he sinks back into a sofa in the concrete-lined living space of 12 Warren, a new 12-story luxury condominium building in Tribeca. While the statement may seem like a no-brainer […]

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“New York is unlike any market in the country,” Joseph A. McMillan, Jr. says as he sinks back into a sofa in the concrete-lined living space of 12 Warren, a new 12-story luxury condominium building in Tribeca. While the statement may seem like a no-brainer (after all, if you can make it here…), McMillan has spent the past eight years entrenched in the market, learning how to stand out in this most competitive field.

The unit where he’s sitting is part of the latest project developed, designed, built and managed by DDG, the “design-focused integrated real estate” company founded in 2009, and where he serves as CEO and Chairman. Since then, DDG has grown to 100 employees in offices in California, Florida and New York, and has developed a portfolio of residential and mixed-use projects in some of the most exclusive neighborhoods, from SoHo to Palm Beach.

Part of DDG’s success, McMillan explains, is its in-house attention to design, a process that starts with research into the neighborhood’s past to imagine how a building will fit into the streetscape today, as well as in the future to come. “You have many more eyes on your projects in New York than you do anywhere else in the country,” he says, which is why DDG’s focus on design begins at the street level, with distinctive facades like the bluestone of 12 Warren and 41 Bond, which is cut and laid out at an upstate quarry before being numbered and shipped to the site, or the cast-aluminum face of SoHo’s XOCO 325, which references the area’s historic buildings.

Today, McMillan says, buyers aren’t just looking for a good investment – though value remains the key driver – they’re also looking for a unique experience. That means staying true to certain signatures (rich materials, quality construction, design-driven details) while also cultivating distinctive features, including LEED certification and artistic collaborations, like the partnership with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and the Whitney Museum that transformed a building wrap into a temporary art exhibition. “We want to continue to help change the streetscape and the landscape for the positive, to do projects that are additive to the built environment,” McMillan says, “so when we all look back five, ten, twenty years from now, we can stop and say, ‘That’s a great building.’”

BKLYNER

08/30/2017

Brooklyn Heights Penthouse Could Break Record for Borough’s Most Expensive Home Sale

By: Pamela Wong

Located on the 12th floor of the former Standish Arms Hotel building at 171 Columbia Heights, the residence was last on the market for $16.645 million before going into contract. If the sale goes through for that hefty price, it will beat out the current record […]

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Located on the 12th floor of the former Standish Arms Hotel building at 171 Columbia Heights, the residence was last on the market for $16.645 million before going into contract. If the sale goes through for that hefty price, it will beat out the current record holder — a townhouse located at 177 Pacific Street in Cobble Hill that sold for $15.5 million in 2015, according to Curbed.

The sprawling penthouse residence is a combination of three top-floor units, making it a total of 6,218 square feet, according to The Real Deal. The apartment features six bedrooms and a 3,366-square-foot terrace.

The building once housed the elegant Beaux-Arts Standard Arms Hotel, which opened in 1903 before being converted into a 94-unit rental building in 2007, according to The Real Deal. DDG and Westbrook Partners purchased the building in 2014 for $60 million to develop the Standish, a luxe, 28-unit condominium.

Sales at the Standish launched in September 2016, with prices starting at $1.29 million for a 856-square-foot one-bedroom and skyrocketing up to $4.495 million for a 2,405-square-foot four-bedroom unit, according to Curbed.

Current availabilities in the building include a 2,973-square-foot five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath unit on the 11th floor with an asking price of $7.135 million.

Curbed

08/29/2017

Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Home May be the Brooklyn Heights Penthouse of The Standish

By: Tanay Warerkar

The penthouse atop the former Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights may set the record for the most expensive home sold in Brooklyn, The Real Deal reports. The six-bedroom condo was last on the market for $16.645 million, before it went into contract. […]

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The penthouse atop the former Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights may set the record for the most expensive home sold in Brooklyn, The Real Deal reports. The six-bedroom condo was last on the market for $16.645 million, before it went into contract. If it closes for that amount, it will beat the record set by the Cobble Hill townhouse at 177 Pacific Street.

That townhouse was picked up by photographer Jay Maisel for $15.5 million in 2015. A Brooklyn Heights townhouse that went into contract at $16 million earlier this year was poised to surpass the Cobble Hill sale, but it ultimately closed for $12.9 million. The only other home that came close to breaking the record was the sale of Dumbo’s Clocktower penthouse, which sold for $15 million.

Back at The Standish, as this former hotel building is now known, DDG and Westbrook Partners are working to convert the previously rental building into 28 condos. The penthouse unit was created by combining three smaller units last year, and initially the combo pad was asking just a tad less at $16.445 million.

Sales at The Standish launched in September 2016, with residences asking from $1.29 million. Several condos here are already in contract, but of the ones on the market, prices range from $1.29 million for a one-bedroom unit, and go up to $7.13 million for a five-bedroom unit.
The project came about after DDG and Westbrook purchased the building for $60 million a few years ago.

The Real Deal

08/28/2017

This Penthouse in Brooklyn Heights Looks Poised to Set a Price Record

By: E.B. Solomont

Maybe it’s a money tree that grows in Brooklyn. The penthouse at The Standish at 171 Columbia Heights looks a good bet to break Brooklyn’s price record of $15.5 million. The six-bedroom condominium — last asking $16.645 million — was scooped up last year, […]

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Maybe it’s a money tree that grows in Brooklyn. The penthouse at The Standish at 171 Columbia Heights looks a good bet to break Brooklyn’s price record of $15.5 million. The six-bedroom condominium — last asking $16.645 million — was scooped up last year, filings with the New York Attorney General’s office show. At 6,218 square feet, the asking price works out to $2,677 per square foot.

The pad, which also features a 3,366-square-foot terrace, is on the 12th floor of DDG and Westbrook Partners’ conversion of the former Standish Hotel in Brooklyn Heights, a 32-unit condo with a total projected sellout of $120 million.

DDG and Westbrook teamed up to buy the former hotel for $60 million in 2014. The prior owner, Boston-based Taurus Investment Holdings, turned the hotel into 94 rental apartments after buying the building from the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2007. DDG and Westbrook initially planned 50 condos at the Standish, but they ultimately went with 28 larger apartments, AG filings show.

The penthouse is actually a combination of three smaller units (units 11B, PHA and PHB originally were asking $2.7 million, $12.975 million and $7 million, respectively). Last year, the developers filed an amendment to the condo offering plan combining those apartments into a larger spread asking $16.445 million. The price was subsequently raised to $16.645 million.
Brooklyn’s current sales record — $15.5 million — is held by a townhouse at 177 Pacific Street in Cobble Hill. Photographer Jay Maisel scooped it up in 2015 after selling 190 Bowery to Aby Rosen.

This year, several deals came within striking distance of the Brooklyn price record, including a triplex penthouse at the Clock Tower in Dumbo that closed for $15 million in March, and Kushner Companies’ townhouse at 27 Monroe Place that sold for $12.9 million in May.

Brooklyn’s residential market has had several back-to-back quarters of record-breaking price jumps. The borough’s median sales price hit a record $795,000 during the second quarter, up 20.6 percent year-over-year, according to the Douglas Elliman / Miller Samuel report. The median price for a new development condo was even higher at $990,000. And in northwest Brooklyn, the median sales price hit $1.15 million.

Lux Exposé

08/22/2017

Superman’s Condo The Standish Unveils First Model Home by Matter

The historic Standish Arms Hotel – famous for being Clark Kent’s Metropolis residence in the “Superman” comics – gets a new facelift. First designed by F.S. Lowe in 1903, the 12-story building with its historic brick […]

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The historic Standish Arms Hotel – famous for being Clark Kent’s Metropolis residence in the “Superman” comics – gets a new facelift. First designed by F.S. Lowe in 1903, the 12-story building with its historic brick, bay windows, terracotta lintels and limestone base, is being converted into condominiums by national real estate firm DDG, along with Westbrook Partners. Located in the heart of Brooklyn Heights, the storied prewar building is a perfect reflection of the beaux arts style popular at the time. Within walking distance to famed restaurants, boutiques, galleries and the renowned Promenade, The Standish’s presence is deeply connected to the cultural richness of one of the most established and dynamic neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

A seamless blend of old and new, The Standish has just revealed its stunning new interiors with the unveiling of a model home, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom residence priced at $2,435,000 million and furnished and accessorized in collaboration with acclaimed showroom and gallery Matter.

A welcome contrast to the neutral model homes typically presented in today’s luxury buildings, Residence 3C at The Standish serves to delight the eyes and engage the senses with the use of bold colors and patterns as well as structural furniture pieces and home accessories. Matter sought to create a contemporary Brooklyn style and aesthetic, drawing inspiration from the building’s history and turn-of-the-century style. The team assembled a foundation of classic materials such as brass, wood and marble, all of which reflect the finishes and materials incorporated into the actual design of the home by DDG, and then built upon this framework of warm neutrals by playing with texture and color in a way that feels contemporary and warm and adds a pop of vibrancy.

In its first model residence to date, Matter sought to incorporate a selection of pieces from its in-house Matter Made collection, Wherewithal and a number of other designers the team admires and routinely works with to create a cohesive narrative throughout the home.

Particularly standout items include a stunning multi-color glass lighting fixture by New York-based lighting and product designer Bec Brittain in the master bedroom, which creates a soothing ambiance as well as an artistic focal point in the room; a large custom Matter Made leather sofa that helps define the living room and create a cozy space perfect for entertaining; striking weavings by New Friends, a company founded by two women, add texture to the walls; and an elegant coat and umbrella stand by the acclaimed Apparatus Studio lends a feeling New York City cool to the entryway.

New York Times

08/10/2017

Best of the Outer Boroughs

Originally built in 1903, The Standish was once a Beaux-Arts hotel that became a rooming house and later a luxury rental, and now is about to open as the only new luxury condominium in the center of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. […]

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Originally built in 1903, The Standish was once a Beaux-Arts hotel that became a rooming house and later a luxury rental, and now is about to open as the only new luxury condominium in the center of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. Situated just off the borough’s famous promenade at 171 Columbia Heights, the 12-story building has either partial or complete water and city views of the East River, downtown Brooklyn, the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges and the Statue of Liberty from some 65 percent of its units. The 29 one- to five-bedroom residences, priced from $1.15 million to more than $16 million for the penthouse, will be ready for move-ins by the end of the year.

The conversion was developed by DDG, a group that both designs and builds its own properties, in partnership with Westbrook Partners. “They are known for their contemporary adaptations of historic spaces, with a very distinctive DDG signature that in this case is a fresh and approachable reimagining of a much-admired building,” said James Lansill, Senior Managing Director of Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group. “The exterior was restored, and the interior extensively updated, with art in the lobby by a talented Brooklyn-based artist. This project is an indicator of the future for the city’s first historic district. The reality is that many people buy very expensive townhouses in the area and completely gut them inside, making very contemporary interiors – and this building skews to what buyers are already demanding.”

Curbed

07/21/2017

Brooklyn Residence Gets Chic Interior Design by Local Studio Matter

By: Lauren Ro

A unit in the storied Standish building in Brooklyn Heights — the supposed residence of Clark Kent—has been given the model design treatment by Matter, the New York-based gallery and showroom. […]

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A unit in the storied Standish building in Brooklyn Heights — the supposed residence of Clark Kent—has been given the model design treatment by Matter, the New York-based gallery and showroom.

Once known as the Standish Arms Hotel, the 1903 building is currently undergoing a transformation by DDG and Westbrook Partners into a 29-unit condominium, with sales already underway. Matter was tasked with curating the two-bedroom, two-bath model residence with its collection of bold and colorful contemporary design.

Furniture, lighting, and accessories from its brand Matter Made as well as from other international designers add flair and heft to the white-box space. Light hardwood floors and tiling in the bathrooms, plus marble counters in the kitchen accented by brass fixtures act as a fresh backdrop against which the curated pieces stand out.

In the living room, for example, a leather sofa by Matter Made custom-designed for the model residence sits below a brass ceiling lamp by Matter founder Jamie Gray, while teal and pink curtains dress the bay window. This space opens onto the dining area and kitchen, where a wooden dining table with oversized barrel legs and matching stools is illuminated by a black double-headed lamp.

The bedrooms get a similar treatment, with the master featuring a natural-wood platform-style bed with a tall headboard and other minimalist objects, and the guest bedroom characterized by a dark platform bed and a wall-mounted desk and shelving unit. Brightly hued artwork adds further pops of color to the home. Take a look.

Dezeen

07/20/2017

Matter Curates Show Home at The Standish Condominiums in Brooklyn

By: Dan Howarth

New York design showroom and gallery Matter has outfitted a model residence in a historic Brooklyn Heights hotel undergoing a conversion into residences. […]

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New York design showroom and gallery Matter has outfitted a model residence in a historic Brooklyn Heights hotel undergoing a conversion into residences.

Matter selected and styled the furniture and accessories for one of 29 condos inside the 12-story building that once housed the Standish Arms Hotel, completed by local architect F.S. Lowe in 1903.

DDG and Westbrook Partners bought the building at 171 Columbia Heights in 2016, and have rebranded the property as The Standish.

The two-bed, two-bath home features a mix of light tones and bold colors that the team chose to set the apartment apart from typical show spaces in new-build projects.

“A welcome contrast to the neutral model homes typically presented in today’s luxury buildings, Residence 3C at The Standish serves to delight the eyes and engage the senses with the use of bold colors and patterns as well as structural furniture pieces and home accessories,” said the team.

From the entrance, the master suite is located off the hall to the left, while the guest bedroom and bathroom are accessed separately further down on the right.

The corridor culminates at the living, kitchen and dining areas, which together occupy a light-filled, open-plan space.

Wooden floors run throughout, except in the master bathroom where a similarly colored stone is used.

Kitchen surfaces are a light-colored marble, used against white cupboards with brass handles and fixtures – matching those in the bathrooms.

To furnish the residence, Matter used pieces from the collection produced by its brand Matter Made, including some from its newest designs shown in Milan earlier this year.

Made in Brooklyn, these include tables, chairs, light fixtures, and accessories by designers such as London-based Philippe Malouin.

A branched brass ceiling lamp in the living area was designed by Matter founder Jamie Gray, while a single-ring version from the same line hangs in the bathroom.

The leather sofa was custom-designed by Matter Made for the project.

Standout pieces from other designers include a light with an orange-green glass shade by Bec Brittain in the master bedroom, and several sconces and an umbrella stand by Apparatus.

In the living room’s bay windows, thick teal curtains overlay millennial pink drapes. A darker blush hue was selected for a geometric rug by &tradition in this space.

Boldly colored artworks compliment the palette of the furnishings.

“Matter sought to create a contemporary Brooklyn style and aesthetic, drawing inspiration from the building’s history and turn-of-the-century style,” the team said.

The model home is priced at $2,435,000 (£1,876,000). Others in the building range from a one-bed marketed for $1,290,000 (£990,000) to a five-bed listed for $7,135,000 (£5,480,000).

Photography is by Robert Granoff.

Curbed

06/29/2017

Superman’s Supposed Brooklyn Heights Residence is now a $5M Condo

By: Amy Plitt

Brooklyn Heights’s Standish Arms Hotel has been a neighborhood fixture for more than a century now, first as a hotel, then as one of the many pieces of real estate owned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, then as a high-end rental building. […]

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Brooklyn Heights’s Standish Arms Hotel has been a neighborhood fixture for more than a century now, first as a hotel, then as one of the many pieces of real estate owned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, then as a high-end rental building. Now, it’s in the process of yet another transformation: DDG and Westbrook Partners are turning the building into the Standish, a 29-unit condo.

The building launched sales last year, and one of its apartments has a rather fun backstory. The building, you see, provided the inspiration for Clark Kent’s residence — the Standish Arms Apartments — in the early Superman comics. The Man of Steel supposedly lived on the fifth floor of the building, and as luck would have it, one of that floor’s units is on the market for $4.985 million.

The residence is a 2,914-square-foot four-bedroom, three-bathroom (and one powder room) pad, and like the other units in the building, it’s been given a modern makeover. There’s custom cabinetry, a 41-foot great room, a marble-covered bathroom with a rain shower, and a huge master suite, but some of its vintage elements — namely two huge bay windows — remain.

Amenities for the building include a fitness center, children’s playroom, and a landscaped roof terrace (the better to help one leap tall buildings in a single bound, perhaps?). In addition to the Superman pad, there are three other residences currently up for grabs, all through Corcoran. Alas, there are no photos of this particular unit, so pictures of the model residence — seen here — will suffice.

New York Times

06/23/2017

Model Apartments Where Designers Run Wild

By: Tim McKeough

Newly built inventory for sale in New York was up 19.6 percent in the first quarter of 2017, compared with the same period last year, according to the appraisal company Miller Samuel. At the same time, Citi Habitats New Developments expects 15,291 new market-rate […]

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Newly built inventory for sale in New York was up 19.6 percent in the first quarter of 2017, compared with the same period last year, according to the appraisal company Miller Samuel. At the same time, Citi Habitats New Developments expects 15,291 new market-rate rental apartments to become available this year in Manhattan and Brooklyn, following just 8,774 units last year.

“There’s a lot of competition,” said Jonathan J. Miller, the president of Miller Samuel. “So getting eyeballs on those projects is important.”

At 520 West 28th Street, the condo building designed by Zaha Hadid, the Related Companies tapped the interior designer Jennifer Post to furnish a $15 million apartment as a model unit. Ms. Post brought in Bernhardt Design lounge and dining chairs with mismatched upholstery, added graphic yellow-and-gray wallpaper to one of the bedrooms, and stocked the unit with eye-catching art, including an explosive geometric painting by Allan D’Arcangelo, and a sculptural free-standing penguin from Robert Kuo.

“I took a risk, and burst it with color, art and energy — it’s not tone-on-tone,” Ms. Post said. “It was a great opportunity to be given the freedom to make something people will talk about.”

“We didn’t hold back anywhere in this building, in terms of creating something that’s never been seen before,” said Greg Gushee, an executive vice president of Related. “With the model, it’s the same thing.”

DDG has been partnering with New York’s cutting-edge contemporary design stores to furnish its model units. The $2.435 million apartment used as a model unit at the Standish at 171 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn was designed by Matter, and includes a spidery copper pendant lamp with a pink-and-aqua glass shade by Bec Brittain, primitive oak dining stools and a table by Jamie Gray, and layered pink and turquoise living room curtains.

At XOCO 325, at 325 West Broadway in Manhattan, DDG invited Colony, a cooperative showroom for emerging designers, to outfit a $17.5 million penthouse. The resulting design includes textile wall hangings by Hiroko Takeda, a snaking 13-foot-long chandelier by Allied Maker and bold geometric tables by Fort Standard and Erickson Aesthetics.

“We try to push the envelope on design,” said Joseph A. McMillan Jr., the chairman and CEO of DDG. “Having something that’s fully neutral or monochromatic is not something that we subscribe to.”

For homeowners who have frequently been told they should rid their homes of personality in order to sell, model units with such expressive design elements may seem counterintuitive. Indeed, some real estate professionals urge caution.

“From a marketing perspective, there’s certainly something intriguing about bringing out a very aggressive design from a well-known or up-and-coming interior designer,” said Stephen G. Kliegerman, the president of Halstead Property Development Marketing. “On the other side of that coin is the conversation about not being so specific as to potentially turn off a buyer who might not be as creative, imaginative or liberal.”

To appeal to the largest pool of buyers, he said, “we recommend that developers use fine, elegant, but more neutral palettes.”

However, with so many properties on the market, some designers and developers say spirited model units can help make buildings more memorable.

“Through color and personality, and non-vanilla spaces, we’re setting the things for people to remember,” said Dan Mazzarini, a partner in the interior design firm BHDM, which designed five model apartments at the Ashland. The 585-unit rental building at 250 Ashland Place in Brooklyn offers studio to three-bedroom apartments ranging from $2,675 to $7,500 a month.

One of the model units has dazzling colors and patterns, including walls with painted trompe l’oeil paneling, powder-blue ceilings and counter stools, and a purply pink tie-dye rug.

“When renters are going around to all these new buildings, they’re seeing maybe 10 units a day and it’s hard to remember, from one white apartment to another, which they liked and why,” Mr. Mazzarini said. “So we built these memory points — it’s the unit with the pink rug, or the 12-foot sofa, or the hats on the wall.”

The interior designer Ken Fulk had a similar objective for three model units at Henry Hall, a 225-unit rental at 515 West 38th Street. From the Imperial Companies, the building has apartments ranging from studios starting at $3,350 a month to two-bedrooms starting at $6,995. Mr. Fulk equipped a studio with a four-poster bed with multicolor zigzag bed curtains installed in an alcove with matching wallpaper.

“Some people will love it, some people will hate it,” Mr. Fulk said. “But even if you don’t like it, you’ll remember it.”

Eric Birnbaum, a partner at Imperial Companies, added: “We wanted to take a position and create a brand. If you’re doing it right, in our minds, you’re going to offend certain people. But others will really like it.”

Pursuitist

06/04/2017

Daily Dream Home: The Standish

By: Deidre Woollard

New York City has a unique ability to combine the best of history with glimpses toward the future. The historic Standish Arms Hotel was designed by F.S. Lowe in 1903, as a classic 12-story Beaux-Arts building in Brooklyn Heights. […]

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New York City has a unique ability to combine the best of history with glimpses toward the future. The historic Standish Arms Hotel was designed by F.S. Lowe in 1903, as a classic 12-story Beaux-Arts building in Brooklyn Heights. The building first operated as a hotel and is famed for inspiring the name of Clark Kent’s residence in the Superman comic books. Later, the handsome building with bay windows was a residence hall for Jehovah’s Witnesses who worked for the society’s printing and distribution businesses.

Today the building, now known simply as The Standish, is being converted into condominiums by DDG. The firm has revealed a model home: a two-bedroom, two-bathroom residence priced at $2.5 million and furnished and accessorized in collaboration with acclaimed showroom and gallery Matter.

Keying off a renewed preference for color and bold individualistic style, Residence 3C at The Standish plays to the contemporary Brooklyn style and aesthetic, drawing inspiration from the building’s history and turn-of-the-century style.

Using brass, wood and marble, all of which reflect the finishes and materials incorporated into the actual design of the home by DDG, Matter created a warm and welcoming space.

In its first model residence to date, Matter selected pieces from the in-house Matter Made collection. Items include a multi-color glass lighting fixture by New York-based lighting and product designer Bec Brittain in the master bedroom, which creates a soothing ambiance as well as an artistic focal point in the room.

The home’s clean lines are accentuated by the furniture, while large bay windows frame the neighborhood’s inherent charm.

Dwell

05/31/2017

Formerly Home to Clark Kent, The Standish Offers Modernized Beaux-Arts Condos From $1.3 Million

By: Jennifer Baum Lagdameo

Located in the heart of Brooklyn Heights, the historic Standish Arms Hotel — which may sound familiar to comic book fans, as it was the Metropolis home of Clark Kent — has been transformed into condos with a stunning model residence furnished by MATTER. […]

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Located in the heart of Brooklyn Heights, the historic Standish Arms Hotel — which may sound familiar to comic book fans, as it was the Metropolis home of Clark Kent — has been transformed into condos with a stunning model residence furnished by MATTER.

First designed by F.S. Lowe in 1903, the classic pre-war Beaux-Arts, 12-story building is situated just off the Brooklyn Promenade with stunning panoramic views of the city. Converted from rental units into luxury condominiums by DDG, together with Westbrook Partners, The Standish is now revealing a first look at its new contemporary interiors. They boast a model residence, Residence 3C, that has been furnished and accessorized by the respected contemporary gallery and showroom Matter, in collaboration with DDG’s design team.

Drawing inspiration from the building’s history, Matter was able to create a modern Brooklyn ethos that naturally melds with the character of the building. Using a foundation of classic materials such as brass, wood, and marble — all of which reflect the finishes and materials incorporated into DDG’s design of the units — the team was able to build upon this warm and neutral framework, and play with color and texture to create a vibrant contemporary feel.

The Standish is Matter’s first foray into furnishing model residences and naturally, the company incorporated a selection of pieces from their in-house Matter Made collection in order to establish a colorful narrative throughout the home.

The Standish recently broke the record for the most expensive condo sale in its Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, with its 10th-floor residence going for $11.65 million.

To find out what’s still available at The Standish, take a look at their site – current prices start at $1.3 million.

Brownstoner

05/30/2017

Brooklyn Heights Two-Bedroom Condo in Superman’s Building Asks $2.435 Million

By: Chris Erikson

Here’s a two-bedroom spread in the Standish, the former hotel at 171 Columbia Heights that’s being turned into condos sporting East River views. The 12-story Beaux-Arts building has an interesting history — Superman once lived here, for one thing. […]

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Here’s a two-bedroom spread in the Standish, the former hotel at 171 Columbia Heights that’s being turned into condos sporting East River views. The 12-story Beaux-Arts building has an interesting history — Superman once lived here, for one thing. Designed by Frank S. Lowe and built in 1903, it was originally called the Standish Arms, which DC Comics fans will recognize as the name of the building where Clark Kent dwelled in Room 5H. (In its other fictional claim to fame, Brooklyn Heights resident Arthur Miller used the name for the hotel where Willie Loman has an affair in “Death of a Salesman.”)

The Jehovah’s Witnesses bought it in 1981, then in 2007 they sold it to an investment group that converted it into rentals.

Now in its latest chapter, it’s being turned into a 29-unit condo development, by DDG and Westbrook Partners, who restored the brick and limestone facade and put the first units up for sale in the fall. This latest one is a model residence, a two-bedroom that’s been curated by the downtown design gallery Matter.

It’s a fetching pad, as you might expect from a building where one-bedrooms start at $1.26 million. It’s got clean lines and modern styling, with high-end finishes and appointments: Carrara marble countertops and a Bertazzoni range in the kitchen, wide-plank Austrian oak flooring, a glass-walled rain shower, brass fixtures and mosaic accents in the bathrooms.

There are two of those, and two bedrooms, including a master with a large walk-in closet. There’s a large living room with bay windows overlooking Columbia Heights, and an open kitchen in the rear.

The building’s got a doorman / concierge, a fitness center, a playroom, and a common roof deck with harbor views. Storage and bike spaces are available for purchase.
Listed by Corcoran, Residence 3C is asking $2.435 million for a 1,356-square-foot two-bedroom.

They don’t seem to be having trouble moving these. Of the 17 units that have gone up for sale, 11 are in contract, according to StreetEasy, including a five-bedroom on the 10th floor that was listed for $11.65 million.

CityRealty

05/12/2017

The Standish Sets a New Record for Brooklyn Heights

By: Sandra Herrera

The Standish at 171 Columbia Heights, known for being the Metropolis residence of Superman’s alter ego in DC Comics, has just broken the record for most expensive condo sale in the historic Brooklyn Heights. The sale comes from the 10th floor […]

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The Standish at 171 Columbia Heights, known for being the Metropolis residence of Superman’s alter ego in DC Comics, has just broken the record for most expensive condo sale in the historic Brooklyn Heights. The sale comes from the 10th floor of the former Standish Arms Hotel and is a full-floor 5-bedroom, 4.5 bath home priced at $11.65M. The previous record was held by a $10.6M condo in the amenity-packed Pierhouse at 90 Furman Street.

Along with this new record for priciest condo sale, the 12-story Beaux Arts-style building has also reached the 50 percent sold milestone, with 14 of its 29 residences currently in contract. Right now, there are five available listings with prices starting at $1.29M and reaching as high as $7.135M.

DDG, in collaboration with Westbrook Partners, is currently in the process of converting The Standish’s current rentals into luxury condominiums. The structure was originally designed in 1903 by F.S. Lowe, but has been renovated a few times, giving developer / designer / builder / property manager DDG the opportunity to restore The Standish to its original glory. The classic building features a formal brick, terra-cotta, and limestone façade with high-arch ground-floor windows and wide bay windows with copper and zinc accents above.

Building amenities include 24/7 doorman and concierge services, a fitness studio, playroom and a landscaped rooftop terrace with beautiful panoramic vistas of the East River, the Statue of Liberty, and the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg Bridges. Storage and bicycle spaces are also available for purchase. Construction is expected to be completed this summer.

Architectural Digest

04/27/2017

A Designing Couple Reimagines an Iconic Brooklyn Hotel

“What we pictured for the space was a kind of alternate life for us,” says Olivia Sammons as she leads the way into an airy, sunlit residence in Brooklyn Heights. “It’s a pretend version of our space if we didn’t have kids.” In reality, Sammons […]

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“What we pictured for the space was a kind of alternate life for us,” says Olivia Sammons as she leads the way into an airy, sunlit residence in Brooklyn Heights. “It’s a pretend version of our space if we didn’t have kids.” In reality, Sammons does have children (three) with her partner Jamie Gray, known to the design world as founder of Matter, a destination for unusual furnishings and objects in lower Manhattan. In addition to stocking the shop, Gray and Sammons, a stylist by trade, run Matter Made, the store’s own in-house line of furnishings. They’re both seasoned design veterans, but the concept of a model home was new to them. “It was fun to come at it with fresh eyes,” says Sammons of the project, in which they outfitted a two-bedroom, two-bath unit of the Standish, formerly the Standish Arms hotel, a stately brick building in Brooklyn Heights that was recently designed and being built by DDG, and redeveloped by DDG and Westbrook Partners as a 29-unit condominium building. With the couple’s connections and expertise in the design world, it’s no surprise that the end result, despite their lack of experience, exudes a comfortable, creative vibe, bringing together the best of the area’s history with the rich culture of contemporary design.

“We began with a selection of pieces from designers we admire and / or work with as well as pieces from the Matter Made collection,” says Gray of the furnishings. “It was important to us that all the selected pieces work together and tell a short story. It was less about incorporating them and us, but rather creating a cohesive narrative within the residence.” The sofa, which was designed especially for the space and will also live in the building’s lobby, was the jumping-off point for the scheme; the room also features Luca Nichetto’s Cloud chair, the Bellevue floor lamp by Arne Jacobsen, and a black marble table by Jonathan Zawada.

“Retaining the Beaux Arts–style exterior, but then reimaging the building’s interiors, makes for a great juxtaposition of the building’s history and a completely refreshed interior,” Gray says. Nowhere is such duality more apparent than in the kitchens, which marry traditional materials like marble and brass in modern ways.

“We wanted to create something contemporary within the refined restoration executed by DDG,” says Sammons. “We considered the history and then balanced those historical details with clean lines and a soft minimalism.” Typecast chairs by Philippe Malouin complement the Orbit table and stools by Gray in the dining area.

When asked what makes the building most special, Sammons says “the location, the view, and the heritage.” Understated elements, like these curtains, manage to highlight all three.

Gray and Sammons used a Vonnegut / Kraft daybed to create a space that could serve as both an office and a guest room.

DDG endeavored to preserve as much of the building’s original spirit as possible, installing details like iron vents and small windows that mimic ones common in the building’s former heyday. In the bath, they use traditional brass in a modern manner.

“We didn’t have a bed that we felt worked with the rest of the story, so we decided to design and build that as the final chapter,” says Gray of the model in the master bedroom. “We wanted this to serve as a pared-back space that would offer respite from the noise of city living.” The ceiling light is by Bec Brittain, the art by Andrew Zuckerman.

Forbes

03/31/2017

10 Hot Properties for Your Viewing Pleasure

By: Keith Flamer

Architects are prolifically altering skylines, sports, and history with recent or future projects. This includes residential towers, historic building conversions, stadiums and islands — both home and abroad. Oh, and the real estate market sizzles on too. […]

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Architects are prolifically altering skylines, sports, and history with recent or future projects. This includes residential towers, historic building conversions, stadiums and islands — both home and abroad. Oh, and the real estate market sizzles on too.

Here are 10 of the hottest properties creating buzz in the USA and beyond including The Standish, 666 Fifth Avenue, Maison Vernon & Maison Commonwealth, Waterline Square, Orlando City Stadium, One Manhattan Square, Tavern Island, 21W20, 1000M and The Residences at Seafire.

The Standish (Brooklyn Heights, New York)

In Superman comic books, the Man of Steel’s alter ego Clark Kent lived in Apartment 5H at the Standish Arms Hotel in Metropolis. The real location is 171 Columbia Heights in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District — where the celebrated pre-war Beaux Arts building recently served as a modern day luxury rental. Until now. Reimagined as The Standish, a 12-story conversion condominium by DDG and Westbrook Partners, the famed building is back — offering supermen and superwomen of sufficient means one-to-five-bedroom condos ranging from $1.3 million to in excess of $11 million. Originally built in 1903 as the Standish Arms Hotel, the celebrated building (which also played a role in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”) is distinguished by a magnificent F.S. Lowe-designed façade of terra-cotta lintels, formal brick, bay windows, and a limestone base.

The building has panoramic views of the East River, downtown Brooklyn, the Statue of Liberty, and the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg Bridges. Construction is scheduled to be completed this summer.

The Real Deal

12/28/2016

The 10 Most Valuable Brooklyn Condo Filings Accepted in 2016

By: Miriam Hall

A converted Williamsburg warehouse that was once the base of operations for a prominent bourbon distributor was the priciest condominium filing approved by the New York Attorney General’s Office in 2016. […]

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A converted Williamsburg warehouse that was once the base of operations for a prominent bourbon distributor was the priciest condominium filing approved by the New York Attorney General’s Office in 2016.

Kushner Companies is turning the massive Cass Gilbert-designed Austin Nichols House at 184 Kent Avenue into luxury condos, and planning to make a tidy profit while they’re at it. The accepted sellout price of $427.3 million makes it the borough’s most expensive condo filing of 2016, according to analysis by The Real Deal.

Brooklyn is a hive of development activity right now, and sales prices in the borough hit record levels in the third quarter of 2016. The median price of condos reached $812,008 and new development condo prices climbed 27 percent year-over-year to $778,452. We looked at the condo offering plans accepted by the Attorney General in 2016, and ranked the biggest projected sellouts in the borough.

DDG is joining forces with Westbrook Partners to convert the former Standish Hotel in Brooklyn Heights from rentals to condos. It’s the first time DDG, led by CEO and Chairman Joseph A. McMillan, Jr., has forayed into Brooklyn.

The companies paid Taurus Investment Holdings $60 million for the building. Taurus had converted the property from a hotel into a 94-unit rental building after buying it from the Jehovah’s Witnesses for $50 million in 2007.

The beaux-arts building will feature a 24-hour doorman and concierge service, a fitness studio, a playroom, a landscaped rooftop terrace with harbor views, and has resident storage and bicycle storage available for purchase.

Brick Underground

10/19/2016

Queens and Brooklyn: More New Condos are Headed Your Way

By: Mayra David

Yes, Brooklyn and, to a lesser extent, Queens, is seeing a glut of new rental buildings, leading to a softening in the market. But renters aren’t the only ones gaining access to a new crop of options—buyers are, too. […]

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Yes, Brooklyn and, to a lesser extent, Queens, is seeing a glut of new rental buildings, leading to a softening in the market. But renters aren’t the only ones gaining access to a new crop of options—buyers are, too. There are multi-tower complexes and intimate buildings making their debut, and regardless of building size, amenities abound in these new offerings. More often than not, they include drool-worthy outdoor spaces (seven acre landscaped terrace or al fresco dining facilities, anyone?) and a ton of wellness options like pools and gyms. And of course, something only buildings in these outer boroughs can offer: gorgeous views of the Manhattan skyline.

Superhero enthusiasts might jump (or, more appropriately, fly) at the chance to live in Superman’s apartment, so when DDG and Westbrook Properties launched sales at their new condominium building in Brooklyn Heights earlier this month, the fact that it was “Superman’s condo” dominated press coverage. […]

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Superhero enthusiasts might jump (or, more appropriately, fly) at the chance to live in Superman’s apartment, so when DDG and Westbrook Properties launched sales at their new condominium building in Brooklyn Heights earlier this month, the fact that it was “Superman’s condo” dominated press coverage. This building stands on the site of The Standish Arms Hotel — now rebranded as simply The Standish — which was the home of Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman.

But this isn’t the only luxurious abode in New York City that was once home to a famous fictional character beloved by children. Others include: 4 Gramercy Park West, The Plaza, and 558 East 87th Street.

The Standish

In the Superman comic book, Clark Kent lived in apartment 5H at The Standish Arms Hotel in Metropolis, where his famous suit was stolen by the Rope Burglar. In reality, the hotel that apparently inspired Kent’s pad in the comic was actually located in the posh Brooklyn Heights neighborhood and is now being redeveloped into a luxury condominium block called “The Standish.” It’s quite unlikely, though, that a reporter’s salary at the fictional Daily Planet would allow Clark Kent to buy a home at The Standish, with current availability prices ranging from $1.3 million for a one-bedroom condo to $4.5 million for a four-bedroom.

New York Post

09/22/2016

Everything You Need to Know About NYC’s Best New Buildings

By: Zachary Kussin

The weather is beginning to cool, but the city’s residential real-estate market plans to continue its hot streak. That’s right, house hunters – dozens of condos and rentals will debut this season. Looking to nab a sweet pad? From the Upper West Side to Williamsburg, there are plenty of new buildings to choose from. Read on. […]

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The weather is beginning to cool, but the city’s residential real-estate market plans to continue its hot streak. That’s right, house hunters – dozens of condos and rentals will debut this season. Looking to nab a sweet pad? From the Upper West Side to Williamsburg, there are plenty of new buildings to choose from. Read on.

This 31-unit condo conversion — at 171 Columbia Heights in tony Brooklyn Heights — hit the market this week. DDG and Westbrook Properties are the names behind this project, where $1.29 million is the barrier to entry. One- to five-bedroom homes will all have nearly 10-foot ceilings in the living spaces, wide-plank Austrian white oak floors and custom-designed cabinetry. As for the building, whose facade sports handsome bay windows, it will have a gym, an on-site 24/7 concierge / doorman and more.

Mansion Global

09/22/2016

New Developments in New York Celebrate High Floors, High Design

By: Ariel Ramchandi

Despite some small hiccups, the market in New York is still going strong.

According to a Q2 Corcoran sales report, the second quarter of 2016 had close to record-breaking high prices and some improvement in sales after a dip at the beginning of the year. […]

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Despite some small hiccups, the market in New York is still going strong.

According to a Q2 Corcoran sales report, the second quarter of 2016 had close to record-breaking high prices and some improvement in sales after a dip at the beginning of the year. The market is showing some signs of rebounding from a small slowdown.

Sales closings in Manhattan were up 6% from the first quarter in 2016, though they are 14% lower than the same time last year. Although the increase in new developments on the market and re-sales of existing condominiums have resulted in an 11% increase in inventory, the market is still moving briskly, with days on the market only increasing 5% from last year and still moving faster than normal.

Across the river in Brooklyn, demand continues to be strong, with rising prices and above average closings 9 percent above the quarterly average, according to Corcoran’s Q2 Brooklyn report. In Brooklyn, inventory is more limited, with 21 percent fewer listings than five years ago. Sales in new developments have kept the Brooklyn prices moving up. Many new and exciting developments are coming to Brooklyn in an attempt to keep up with the growing demand for the borough.

In all areas of New York, exciting new projects bring luxury and specificity to the buyer, whether it is design that celebrates its Brooklyn location, extensive amenities, high floors, or high design.

New developments on the market this fall include The Standish, 125 Greenwich Street, One Manhattan Square, d’Orsay, 565 Broome Street, 287 East Houston Street, The Inkwell, The Chamberlain, 15 Hudson Yards, The Clare, 42 Crosby, and The Twenty1.

The Standish

Live in a piece of Brooklyn history in this building, a new condominium in a Beaux Arts style building originally designed in 1903 by F.S. Lowe. The façade has brick walls, copper bay windows, and terracotta lintels on a limestone base and stands as a beautiful example of turn of the century ornamentation.

For contemporary times, the building offers a concierge and doorman, a fitness studio and yoga/stretching area, a children’s playroom, and has resident storage and bicycle storage available for purchase. It offers Bertazzoni-Italia and Bosch Appliances in the kitchen, and beautiful views of the East River, the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges, Brooklyn Heights and the Statue of Liberty. Its location, close to lower Manhattan but in an old world section of Brooklyn, matches the building’s combination of old and new. Sales just launched in recent days.

The newest avatar of the former Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights—a luxury condo building developed, designed, built, and managed by DDG, has now launched sales on its residences. […]

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The newest avatar of the former Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights—a luxury condo building developed, designed, built, and managed by DDG, has now launched sales on its residences. As of this morning, four residences were listed on the building’s website, and DDG has released several new interior renderings of the condo as well.

Developers anticipate that the building, now known as The Standish, will have a total of 31 apartments that range in size from one-to-five bedroom units. Of those currently available, the smallest is an 856-square-foot one-bedroom that’s asking $1.29 million, and the largest is a four-bedroom spanning 2,405 square feet and asking $4.495 million.

Some of the standout features in the units include Austrian white oak flooring, Italian Carrara marble slab countertops in the kitchen, and silver travertine slabs and mosaic accented walls in the master bathroom along with a rain shower.

Amenities in the 12-story building, which is located at 171 Columbia Heights, include a fitness studio, a children’s playroom, 24/7 concierge / doorman, and private and bicycle storage available for purchase.

Since it was built in 1903, the Standish Arms Hotel building has taken on many different roles in subsequent years. After its years as a hotel it was sold to the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1981. They turned it into housing, and in 2007, another group of developers converted it into luxury rentals. Those 90-odd rentals are now being converted into condos courtesy of DDG. The first closings are expected in July 2017.

citybizlist

09/19/2016

The Standish in Brooklyn Heights Launches Sales

DDG and Westbrook Properties today announce the official launch of sales at The Standish, a storied pre-war building being reimagined in Brooklyn Heights. […]

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DDG and Westbrook Properties today announce the official launch of sales at The Standish, a storied pre-war building being reimagined in Brooklyn Heights. It is presently anticipated that there will be 31 residences offered for sale, subject to approval by the Department of Buildings and Attorney General. Originally built in 1903, the Beaux Arts-hotel-turned-luxury-rental is the only new luxury condominium in the center of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. Situated just off the borough’s famous promenade, the residences at The Standish offer unparalleled panoramic views of the East River; downtown Brooklyn; the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg Bridges; the Statue of Liberty; and charming views over tree-lined Brooklyn Heights.

“The Standish is where the essence of the Beaux Arts movement meets the advances of the 21st century, and it provides an incredible opportunity to create a truly unique living experience for residents,” said Joseph A. McMillan, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DDG. “Not only are we extremely excited to be entering the Brooklyn market with our first development in the borough, but we couldn’t be more thrilled to be working on such a celebrated building.”

A perfect reflection of the Beaux Arts style popular at the time, The Standish’s striking façade was originally designed by F.S. Lowe in the early 20th century and consists of historic brick, bay windows, terracotta lintels, and a limestone base. Rising above the historic Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, The Standish offers the unique combination of a pre-war façade, refreshingly modern interiors, and unprecedented views.

Originally constructed as the Standish Arms Hotel, the legendary tower has hosted many famous faces, both real and imagined. The caped crusader Clark Kent took up residence in The Standish Arms Hotel, whereby his famous Superman suit was stolen by the one and only Rope Burglar.

Known for its innovative partnerships, DDG has tapped Brooklyn-based artist Andie Dinkin, who is widely regarded for her work as an illustrator and highly detailed line drawings, to create a custom art installation in the lobby. Dinkin drew inspiration from famous residents who once called The Standish home and created an impressively scaled and impeccably detailed drawing in the decadent, turn-of the century art nouveau style by Aubrey Beardsley and plays by Oscar Wilde. Her piece will be complemented by soaring 12-foot ceilings, custom lighting, and an elegant porcelain floor.

Light filled homes will range in size from one- to five-bedrooms. Living areas feature Austrian white oak flooring and custom-designed solid wood entry and interior doors. Kitchens are fully outfitted with Bertazzoni-Italia and Bosch appliances and Italian Carrara marble slab countertops, while the master bath includes silver travertine slabs and mosaic accented walls and flooring, as well as a custom freestanding tub and Fantini rain shower. DDG carefully curated a select group of amenities and services including a state-of-the-art fitness center with yoga and stretching area, onsite concierge/doorman, fully outfitted children’s playroom, and access to DDG’s concierge services. Additional conveniences, including private storage and bike facility are also available for purchase.

“The Standish presents a truly singular opportunity to own a luxury condominium residence with expansive views of the New York Harbor, the Downtown skyline, and the Statue of Liberty in the very nexus of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District,” said James Lansill, Senior Managing Director of Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, exclusive sales and marketing agent for the building. “Our buyers will not have to compromise their desire to live within Brooklyn Heights on a tree-lined street just off the Promenade.”

Located at 171 Columbia Heights, The Standish is steps from the neighborhood’s beloved promenade as well as idyllic Montague Street, an array of restaurants and cafes, and the Brooklyn Historical Society. It also happens to be well situated for water lovers excited about ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina, New York City’s newest marina.

The sales gallery is located on site at 171 Columbia Heights. Pricing starts at $1.29 million and construction is expected to be sufficiently complete in July 2017 to commence closings of the residences.

For additional information or to schedule an appointment, please contact the sales team at 718.237.1710 or info@thestandish.com, or visit www.thestandish.com.

CityRealty

09/18/2016

Brooklyn Heights’ The Standish Debuts Full Website with New Renderings of Beautifully Proportioned Homes

By: Katy Cornell

Thanks to an ongoing conversion by DDG and Westbrook Properties, the historic Standish Arms Hotel will soon debut 31 new condominium residences. Situated at 171 Columbia Heights, the 12-story building was originally constructed in 1903 and designed by F. S. Lowe. […]

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Thanks to an ongoing conversion by DDG and Westbrook Properties, the historic Standish Arms Hotel will soon debut 31 new condominium residences. Situated at 171 Columbia Heights, the 12-story building was originally constructed in 1903 and designed by F. S. Lowe. Now dubbed The Standish, the building features a brick, terracotta, and limestone façade with high-arch windows at the base and wide bay windows above.

Upon expected completion in 2018, the interiors will feature beautiful homes ranging from one-bedroom residences to gorgeous penthouses. BuzzBuzzHome recently uncovered a “Residences” page on the building’s website, featuring beautiful interior renderings of the soon-to-come homes. Each has been designed to reflect classic turn-of-the-century design and the Beaux-Arts aesthetic.

Situated among Brooklyn Heights’ gorgeous brick and brownstone townhouses, the Standish will offer residences located just off the Promenade and in close proximity to highly acclaimed restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries. Prices for the currently available residences range from $1.3 to $4.5 million. There are currently 63 condos for sale in Brooklyn Heights with an average price of $2.235 million, or $1,492 per square foot. The average price per square foot for a condo in the neighborhood was $1,444 as of September 1st, significantly higher than a price per square foot of $1,190 last September.

New York Times

09/04/2016

Superman’s Building Goes Condo

By: Kaya Laterman

Reading the ads for the Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights that were in newspapers at the turn of the 20th century, you might be forgiven for thinking they were published recently. Like today’s ads for high-end developments in the area, […]

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Reading the ads for the Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights that were in newspapers at the turn of the 20th century, you might be forgiven for thinking they were published recently. Like today’s ads for high-end developments in the area, most of them tout the quick commute to Wall Street by ferry and the views of Manhattan.

But one ad that ran in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in April 1935 highlights a stark difference: Monthly rent at the hotel, where rooms could be paid for by the night or longer, was $50, a far cry from the $2,000-a-month studios that were being rented in the building just a few years ago.

Now the new owners of the building, DDG and Westbrook Partners, are turning the 12-story structure just off the promenade into a 31-unit condominium building. Rechristened as The Standish, at 171 Columbia Heights, it will have apartments ranging from $1.3 million for a one-bedroom to $13.5 million and up for a five-bedroom.

“Everyone knows that the townhouse stock in Brooklyn Heights is incredible, but there aren’t a lot of places with a view,” said Joseph A. McMillan, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DDG.

Mr. McMillan plans to preserve the building’s history. For DDG’s first restoration project and its first development in Brooklyn, the company has hired Higgins Quasebarth and Partners, a historic preservation consultant. The building is within the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, and Mr. McMillan said he worked with the Landmarks Preservation Commission to dig up old tax records to determine the original materials used to build the structure in 1903.

Designed by Frank S. Lowe, a Brooklyn architect responsible for homes throughout the borough, the building has a brick facade that will be stripped and recoated to mimic its original ivory hue. The limestone base will also be restored, Mr. McMillan said, as will the marble fire staircase with cast-iron railings near the middle of the building.

According to a June 1903 article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Eliza Matilda Chandler was the owner of the land that was bundled and sold for about $75,000 to the company that built the Standish Arms Hotel. She was known as Mrs. S.V. White, the wife of Stephen Van Culen White, a former congressman and a prominent Wall Street broker; she was also a descendant of Myles Standish, an English officer who came over on the Mayflower and served as a military adviser to the Pilgrims.

The building has an impressive fictional history, too. Comic book fans may remember Clark Kent living in apartment 5H at the Standish Arms Hotel in Metropolis, while those of Arthur Miller might recognize it as the name of the hotel where Willy Loman, the central character in “Death of a Salesman,” has an affair. (In fact, the hotel in the play was in Boston, but Mr. Miller lived in Brooklyn Heights for years, leading some to believe that he lifted the name of the familiar neighborhood building.)

A handful of one- to four-bedrooms, priced at $1.3 million to $4.5 million, will be available once sales begin on September 19. Pending approval from the state attorney general’s office, there will also be a townhouse unit with up to 12-foot ceilings and a yard and a maisonette duplex with a recreation room in the cellar, according to James Lansill, a senior managing director of the Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, which is handling sales.

Amenities will include a roof terrace, a fitness center, a children’s playroom and a 24-hour concierge / doorman, said Mr. Lansill, who expects interest from townhouse owners in the area looking to downsize, as well as Manhattan residents who want a neighborhood that has the feeling of the West Village or TriBeCa and also the spectacular views many of the units will offer.

“The building could not be in a better location,” he said. “It’s like locational nirvana.”

New York Post

06/23/2016

Brooklyn Heights’ Condo Boom

By: Zachary Kussin

Brooklyn Heights is reaching new peaks. Sure, this affluent neighborhood — the city’s first historic district located across the East River from Lower Manhattan — has long been home to stately brownstones and co-ops. […]

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Brooklyn Heights is reaching new peaks. Sure, this affluent neighborhood — the city’s first historic district located across the East River from Lower Manhattan — has long been home to stately brownstones and co-ops. But a stock of new developments will thrust the area into its next chapter.

The Brooklyn Trust Company — a 12-unit condominium conversion at 138 Pierrepont St. where prices now run $3.2 to $4.2 million — should see its first closing this month.

Across the neighborhood, the ground-up 106-unit Pierhouse condo in Brooklyn Bridge Park also starts closings this summer — with remaining units priced from $2.9 to $11.19 million. The five-unit, Morris Adjmi-designed 70 Henry St. condo is also gearing up for a sales launch this fall.

Notice a pattern? Brooklyn Heights traditionally had a dearth of condos. Not only is this area heavily landmarked (it’s generally tough to build new in historic districts), but it’s also had few buildable lots.

Now, developers are filling this market void — as well as luring buyers in search of spiffy new pads — by making condos more available than ever before. And they’re doing it largely through conversions.

“I think Brooklyn Heights reached its peak in co-op potential, but it didn’t have a condominium marketplace — and that has room to grow,” says Stephen Kliegerman, president of Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing, which handles sales and marketing at the Brooklyn Trust.

And builders aren’t missing a beat.

A total of 294 condominium units are in some stage of Brooklyn Heights’ development pipeline, according to Halstead Property Development Marketing.

Sources attribute the activity to the 435-unit One Brooklyn Bridge Park condo conversion. This project launched in 2008 and saw quick sales even during the recession, which helped fuel future projects. A $23.88 million penthouse listing here stands to crush a borough condo record if it sells for that price.

A far newer neighborhood conversion is The Standish, at 171 Columbia Heights. DDG — along with Westbrook Partners — is designing and transforming the address, originally The Standish Arms Hotel, into a 32-unit condo. Prices are not available, but many homes will look out to views of the Manhattan skyline.

“This affords the ability to have a family-sized apartment on one floor,” says Joe McMillan, DDG’s Chairman and CEO, “Because Brooklyn Heights has traditionally been a single-family home market.”

He’s not joking. There are 11 townhouses (mostly single-family) currently listed in Brooklyn Heights averaging of $7.68 million, according to brokerage MNS.

Beyond value, neighborhood condos offer tremendous long-term investment potential. For new-development units, Brooklyn Heights’ closed sales have soared 79.8 percent to an average $1,602 per square foot since January 2014, according to HPDM. By comparison, nearby Boerum Hill, which also has a host of new condos, saw that same figure rise 42.7 percent to an average $1,452 per square foot during that same time.

While developers are bullish on condos, some area residents are far less sanguine.

Take Pier 6, a grassy area at the south end of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Their Corporation board just approved controversial plans for two buildings to rise on empty parcels never intended for park use. A 28-story tower will reportedly house 126 market-rate condos, while a 14-story build will have 140 rental units — 100 for affordable housing.

Despite the park board’s insistence that real estate is crucial to financially maintain the greenspace, project opponents are fuming.

“Do our parks get consumed for funding other city services?” says Judi Francis, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, whose group is working with attorneys on legal challenges to the approval.

“By moving ahead with the final — and essential — component of our funding model, we have ensured that a $400 million public investment [will be] enjoyed by millions,” says Brooklyn Bridge Park President Regina Myer.

Meanwhile, City Council-approved plans to redevelop a Brooklyn Public Library branch at 280 Cadman Plaza West into a 36-story tower with 139 condos, a new library space and off-site affordable housing hit a snag this month. An advocacy group named Love Brooklyn Libraries sued to block the $52 million sale of the site to development firm Hudson Companies.

“There were a lot of eyes on this project — it was probably one of the most transparent … projects the city has ever seen,” says Hudson principal David Kramer.

Despite the isolated controversies, activity remains high — and not just for condos. A 19-story, 62-unit rental building at 172 Montague St. opened to tenants last summer — the first ground-up rental in Brooklyn Heights to debut since 1999, which Town Marketing and Leasing fully leased up.

Condos still comprise the lion’s share of new offerings. There’s also 70 Henry St. This development is jointly developed by Mettle Property Group and JMH Development. Prices aren’t yet available.

Of course, there are other winning factors. One of them is transportation; eight subway lines zoom through the neighborhood. Park space also never hurts.

“You can spend the day strolling from playgrounds to volleyball courts, soccer pitches, and enjoy the gorgeous view too,” says Emily Fisher, an associate broker at Stribling & Associates, who’s handled deals in the area, of the waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park.

If there’s been one drawback over the years, it’s the dining scene, but change is afoot. The newly opened Beasts & Bottles on Atlantic Avenue serves up Provence-style rotisserie plates and pours French wines. The 75-seat bar Le Boudoir recently opened underneath the popular French bistro Chez Moi just down the road.

Given its accessibility and charm, it’s no wonder Brooklyn Heights is popular among families, which brought Carmen Tortorelli to snag a co-op here in December.

She worked with Corcoran’s Lisa and Christina Lonuzzi to find the space, which has crown moldings and a windowed kitchen. (She currently shares it with her daughter, Lauren Grech, and son-in-law.)

But most of all, she enjoys the area’s safety and playgrounds, which make it a great place for her grandchildren to grow.

“You feel like you are in a true neighborhood,” she says.

New York YIMBY

05/11/2016

Rendering Released For The Standish, A Brooklyn Heights Condo Conversion

By: Rebecca Baird-Remba

The 12-story Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights is getting a makeover, and YIMBY has a rendering of the revamped property at 171 Columbia Heights. The 1903 Beaux Arts building has been a hotel, housing for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and now it’s becoming condos. […]

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The 12-story Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights is getting a makeover, and YIMBY has a rendering of the revamped property at 171 Columbia Heights. The 1903 Beaux Arts building has been a hotel, housing for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and now it’s becoming condos. The ornate structure once held 122 rooms, but the new and improved version will have only 32 apartments. Condos in the building will range from one- to five-bedrooms. Pricing isn’t available, because the Attorney General hasn’t approved an offering plan for the conversion yet.

DDG is designing, building, and managing the conversion. The Tribeca-based firm is working on the project with Westbrook Partners, and picked up the old hotel in 2014. The Witnesses purchased the property in 1988 and used it as housing until 2007, when they sold the property to Taurus Investment Holdings for $50 million.

The Standish sits between Clark and Pierrepont streets, and residents on the upper floors will have attractive views of the East River, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridge Park. The renovation will also install a laundry list of luxury amenities, including a 24-hour doorman, fitness center, children’s playroom, private storage, and bike storage.

Sales are scheduled to launch this summer, and the developers will also unveil a model unit in the building this summer.

Curbed

05/10/2016

New Looks at The Standish, a Onetime Brooklyn Heights Hotel Turned Condo

By: Amy Plitt

The former Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights has had many lives: It operated as a hotel in the early 20th century (and apparently inspired the name of Clark Kent’s residence in the Superman comic books), but was sold to the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1981. […]

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The former Standish Arms Hotel in Brooklyn Heights has had many lives: It operated as a hotel in the early 20th century (and apparently inspired the name of Clark Kent’s residence in the Superman comic books), but was sold to the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1981. The religious group turned it into housing, but then sold it in 2007 to Taurus Investment Holdings, which then converted the building into luxury rentals.

And now, developer, designer, builder and asset manager, DDG, in collaboration with Westbrook Partners, is set to transform it once again into luxury condos. A teaser site for the new development, named The Standish, is now live, and we’ve got details on what to expect. The building’s current 90 units will be converted into just 32 condos, ranging in size from one- to five-bedrooms. DDG says that the apartments will “offer a fresh and cleanly modern interpretation of a decidedly pre-war residential sensibility,” and amenities will include a fitness center, children’s playroom and bike storage. No word yet on pricing for the units, but considering the size and location, we can guess that they’ll be pretty high.

The developers also brought artist Andie Dinkin into the fold to create pieces for the building that are influenced by its history. Her line drawings, including the one pictured here, feature notable New York City buildings from the past and present — the Standish is there, along with Federal Hall and Jane’s Carousel, to name a few.

Sales for the building are expected to launch sometime in the next few months.

New York Post

05/04/2016

In the Works

By: Heidi Mitchell

NYC Real Estate Tycoons Recharge Their Offices with Electrifying Art. Joseph A McMillan, Jr., Chairman and CEO of real estate and development firm DDG—whose 345meatpacking construction site was famously cloaked in a black-and-yellow-dotted scrim […]

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NYC Real Estate Tycoons Recharge Their Offices with Electrifying Art. Joseph A McMillan, Jr., Chairman and CEO of real estate and development firm DDG—whose 345meatpacking construction site was famously cloaked in a black-and-yellow-dotted scrim by Japanese pop artist Yayoi Kusama in 2012—keeps a chunk of that “Yellow Trees” wrap in the receiving room of DDG’s 14,000-square-foot Tribeca office.

“I see it from my desk all day, and I think it’s tremendous,” says McMillan, a 44-year-old reformed hedgie and former Army man. Around the bend, half a dozen scale-model buildings stand in the shadow of an 8-by-16-foot spray-painted rose by Ben Eine. The British graffiti artist tagged DDG’s construction fence at XOCO 325 on West Broadway, and McMillan displays a piece of that plywood in the office. “We loved it for the great pop of color,” he tells Alexa.

In the last decade, New York’s real estate and art worlds have collided like never before, with developers commissioning site-specific work and architects designing entire buildings around major pieces. Meanwhile, the executives behind all those art-mad condominiums have become regulars at Basel and Frieze. These art-enthused developers are now transforming their offices into bold galleries, hoping to excite and inspire their creative teams— and anyone else who walks through the door.

DDG’s mostly commissioned collection is rather gonzo, and designed to generate an emotional response, much like the company’s 14 or so condominiums (consider 12 Warren, whose exterior mixes a façade of handcrafted and rough-hewn bluestone locally quarried in upstate New York with scattered terraces cantilevering out into space). In a DDG lounge, artist Shawn Martinbrough’s noir comic-strip drawings, inspired by DDG’s XOCO 325 building in SoHo, hang between grand windows facing uptown; in the conference room, a large-format print of a quarry, by Dutch art-photographer Jacqueline Hassink, creates another opening to the world outside.

“Art and architecture can give you something unexpected and beautiful to talk about,” McMillan says. Plus, he adds, “you spend so much time together at the office, you want it to be an environment that you enjoy being in.”

At real estate investment and development firm HFZ Capital Group’s Midtown headquarters, a light installation proclaiming “If These Walls Could Talk,” by Rinaldo Frattolillo, sparks conversation in the boardroom, while a compressed Honda motorcycle, by the late French sculptor César, sits on a pedestal in founder and chairman Ziel Feldman’s office suite.

“Whenever we are about to install a new piece, everyone has an opinion,” he jokes. “They either say, ‘Wow,’ or, ‘Thank God I work on the other side of the office.’” Feldman, 57, has been collecting art with his wife, Helene, for a lifetime; his attention-grabbing taste is on full display on his office terrace, where a 3½-foot-long balloon like dog occupies prime real estate.

“I have had many offers from the bankers across the street for my ‘Koons’ out there,” he laughs, since the piece, “Canine Construction,” is actually by Korean artist Gimhongsok and “made out of stuffed garbage bags cast in bronze.” (To be fair, a tiny Jeff Koons “Balloon Dog” replica, which retails for $27, sits just inside.)

Feldman’s office art tends to be highly tactile, like Deborah Butterfield’s horse sculpture honed from old army tanks, or—impossible to ignore—the eyes of Alan Rath’s “Optical Cylinder III” robotic video sculpture following you around the conference room. “They stimulate thought and conversation, but they also make people smile,” Feldman says, just as his buildings One Madison and 11 Beach Street might. “Sometimes a piece becomes a punch-line for me in meetings. Like the photograph by Gerard Rancinan of a staged car crash between Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Elvis Presley with a Goofy head in the conference room—I point to it and say, ‘Look what happened to the last people I negotiated with!’”

Jennie Lamensdorf, the full-time curator for Time Equities CEO Francis Greenburger, sifts through her boss’ 1,000-plus-piece art collection to choose about 400 rotating works for his real estate firm’s offices at 55 Fifth Ave. “With office space, you have three choices,” Lamensdorf says. “Either you keep the walls blank and depressing, you put up weird inspirational posters, or you share your art with your employees and bring them some joy—and contribute to a feeling that, even in a traditional workplace, new ideas are welcome here.”

Greenburger (who sponsors the biennial Francis J. Greenburger Prize, a lifetime achievement award for under-recognized artists, and who founded the Omi International Arts Center in Ghent, NY, in 1992) believes that sharing his favorites infuses his office with excitement. The pieces on show are as diverse and eclectic as his portfolio of buildings (which range from garages and retail spaces to well-loved walk-ups and high-design condominiums, like Helmut Jahn’s 50 West, which opens this fall).

Many are materially interesting: a woven-paper piece by Rakuko Naito, a 20-year-old Sol LeWitt sculpture in his C-suite, an installation titled “Let Down Your Hair,” by South African feminist artist Frances Goodman — a sort of medusa head with tentacles, all made entirely out of fake fingernails.

Greenburger, 67, rotates what’s on view every few months: “I find when you move things, they take on new meaning.”

Real estate, all three developers agree, is often as abstract as the artworks they collect. Any cues or references they offer to employees or visitors can help give shape to feelings that sometimes elude words. “Real estate is emotional, but it’s also about imagination,” says Greenburger. “So I like to fill my office with colorful, playful pieces with positive imagery.”

With any luck, one of those pieces just might inspire the next great New York building.

Crain's

01/05/2016

Luxury Condo Builder Tackles its First Brooklyn Project

By: Daniel Geiger

A developer of several high-end condo buildings in Manhattan is embarking on its first residential project in Brooklyn. DDG has joined with Westbrook Partners to redevelop the former Standish Hotel in Brooklyn Heights from a rental to condo. […]

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A developer of several high-end condo buildings in Manhattan is embarking on its first residential project in Brooklyn. DDG has joined with Westbrook Partners to redevelop the former Standish Hotel in Brooklyn Heights from a rental to condo. DDG’s role in the project has not been previously disclosed. Westbrook and DDG purchased the property from Taurus Investment Holdings last summer for $60 million. Taurus had converted the hotel into rental apartments.

The Standish, at 171 Columbia Heights, is DDG’s first project outside Manhattan and its first conversion in the city, where until now it has only built projects from the ground up. The company, led by CEO and Chairman Joseph A. McMillan, Jr., is the lead developer in the conversion and is designing and managing the project.

The Brooklyn Heights conversion is DDG’s eighth development in the city. It is currently in the process of constructing four condo buildings: XOCO 325, 12 Warren, 100 Franklin and 180 East 88th. 180 East 88th is a 521-foot tall tower — DDG’s largest project to date. In the past five years, it has successfully built and sold condo units at 41 Bond and 345meatpacking.

DDG is well known for ultraluxury residential buildings that feature distinct, handmade bricks from Denmark. They have become signature design elements for the developer’s projects.

Artnet

10/15/2015

New York’s 10 Best Public Art Installations for Fall

By: Sarah Cascone

On the heels of a typically great spring and summer public art season here in New York, there’s plenty more outdoor art to be seen in the city this fall, from the heart of Times Square to way out in Flushing, Queens. Aside from sipping on a pumpkin spice latte, what better way to […]

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On the heels of a typically great spring and summer public art season here in New York, there’s plenty more outdoor art to be seen in the city this fall, from the heart of Times Square to way out in Flushing, Queens. Aside from sipping on a pumpkin spice latte, what better way to welcome autumn than by enjoying the best of the public art on offer? And don’t forget, it’s all eminently Instagramable.

1. Don Gummer, Don Gummer on Broadway, Broadway

Meryl Streep isn’t the only one in her family to appear on Broadway: Her husband, Don Gummer, is currently presenting an outdoor art exhibition of nine aluminum and stainless steel sculptures along the famed avenue. Beginning at Columbus Circle and reaching up to 157th street, the statues are the artist’s attempt to translate haiku poetry into visual form. Broadway malls from Columbus Circle to 157th Street; May 2015 – Early 2016.

2. Hank Willis Thomas, The Truth Is I See You, MetroTech Commons, Brooklyn

Taking his inspiration from “The truth is we’re not yet free,” a quote from Nelson Mandela, Hank Willis Thomas explores the meaning of the truth for his Brooklyn show for the Public Art Fund. Thomas’s world-traveling Truth Booth, in which visitors are invited to record their idea of the truth, will make an appearance on October 15. MetroTech Commons, between Jay Street and Flatbush Avenue at Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn; August 4, 2015 – June 3, 2016.

3. JR, Ballerina Installation in Partnership with DDG, Tribeca

The latest work from French street artist JR, a 75-foot-tall photograph of New York City Ballet ballerina Lauren Lovette leaping elegantly in the air, graces a wall on DDG’s 100 Franklin in Tribeca. The photograph was taken in Paris during the filming of the artist’s film Les Bosquet, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this spring. 100 Franklin Street at Church Street; ongoing.

4. Grimanesa Amorós, Pink Lotus, The Peninsula New York

Grimanesa Amorós is lighting up the night sky with Pink Lotus, a squiggly illuminated sculpture that celebrates female empowerment. The installation is part of “The Art of Pink,” a Breast Cancer Awareness Month initiative by the Peninsula hotels. Also participating in 2015 is Alexandre Renoir, great-grandson of the newly-controversial Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The Peninsula New York, 700 5th Ave at 55th Street; October 1 – November 15, 2015.

5. Alicja Kwade, Against the Run, Central Park

In addition to the aforementioned Hank Willis Thomas exhibition and its ongoing digitally-themed City Hall Park group show, Public Art Fund is also staging a Central Park presentation of Against the Run, Alicja Kwade’s 16-foot-tall take on the traditional New York City street clock. Though it looks ordinary and keeps correct time, this clock simultaneously runs backward and forward. Central Park, Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Fifth Avenue at 60th Street; September 10, 2015 – February 14, 2016.

This sculpture exhibition, organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei and the Taiwanese American Arts Council as part of the Parks Department’s “Art in the Parks” program, sets work by four New York-based Taiwanese artists beneath the iconic Unisphere in Corona Park. The sculptures are made from a wide range of materials including fiberglass, bamboo, and feathers, and include forms inspired by Buddha. Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens; September 27 – November 23, 2015.

7. Lunar New Year, A Depiction of Urgency, Hamilton Heights

The Audubon Mural Project plans to bring avian-themed street art to 314 gates and windows in northern Harlem, one for each North American bird threatened by climate change. The latest addition to the initiative, organized by the National Audubon Society along with the gallery known as “Gitler & _____,” is also the biggest mural yet, located directly across John James Audubon’s grave at Trinity Cemetery. The Stella, 575 West 155th Street; ongoing.

The latest in Times Square Arts’s “At the Crossroads” series, the T.SQ Newsstand creates a classic New York kiosk for the modern age, hawking a selection of artwork and indie publications including one featuring work by Barbara Kruger. Organized by Kimou “Grotesk” Meyer with Victory Journal and Juxtapoz, this New York stand is embellished with fake pigeons and cigarette packs. Times Square, Broadway Plaza between West 44th and 45th Streets; October 9 – 18, 2015.

9. Max Spivak, 5 Bryant Park Mosaic

This 40-foot-wide mosaic mural by Max Spivak of an abstract design set on a shimmering gold background, is full of shapes based on tools of the textile trade (it was inspired by the garment businesses that once populated the neighborhood). And while it may date to 1957, it was only rediscovered in March during renovations and restored by its owner, the Blackstone Group. 5 Bryant Park; ongoing.

An Irish American, Duke Riley was surprised to discover, during a 2007 visit to Havana, that many of his ancestor’s countrymen had emigrated to Cuba. He returned in 2009, staging the city’s first ever St. Patrick’s Day parade, a tradition that began in the US and has been adopted in 15 countries around the world. A detail of a drawing Riley made to record his St. Patrick’s Day Parade performance is now on view at Socrates Sculpture Park’s 11-by-28-foot Broadway Billboard, welcoming visitors to the park, where the 2015 Emerging Artist Fellowship is currently on view. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City; September 27, 2015 – March 13, 2016.

Crain's

03/13/2015

Luxury Residential Developer DDG Expands its Tribeca Office

By: Daniel Geiger

DDG is growing by more than 50% to 14,000 square feet at 60 Hudson St. The expansion comes as the firm, which drew attention in recent years for its successful condo projects, 41 Bond and 345meatpacking, has a robust pipeline of […]

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DDG is growing by more than 50% to 14,000 square feet at 60 Hudson St. The expansion comes as the firm, which drew attention in recent years for its successful condo projects, 41 Bond and 345meatpacking, has a robust pipeline of projects.
The company is in the process of building four new condo developments, including one of its largest to date, a 521-foot tall tower it is planning to erect on the Upper East Side at 180 East 88th St. DDG is also building new condos at 325 West Broadway in Soho and 12 Warren St. in Tribeca. It is also planning a condo conversion in Brooklyn, which is its first project in the boroughs outside of Manhattan, according to the company’s chairman and CEO, Joseph A. McMillan, Jr.

Founded in 2009 by Mr. McMillan and partners, DDG has grown from just a handful of employees to almost 90 in the city. The developer has benefited from the surge in the city’s high-end apartment market.

“New York City has been a fantastic market over the last few years and we have assembled the right team to take advantage of it,” Mr. McMillan said.

DDG has won accolades for its attention to detail and design. 41 Bond and 345meatpacking both have eye-catching facades constructed of custom brick and stone, and vertical plantings.